Spike.



J. D. GRITES.

SPIKE.

APPLICATION FILED DL`.(..16,1913A Patented Dee. 15, 19111 @manic/o dDCr'z'tes @my @am UNITED JOSEPH D. CBITES, OF AKRON, OHIO.

SPIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent. j

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

Application led December 16, 1913. Serial No. 807,091.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH D. Cairns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Askron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spikes, of which' the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in spikes and contemplates the employment of two members, one comprising a spike proper which has its head and a portion of its body communicating with its head provided with a recess, the recess of the body terminating in a substantially V- shaped wall, the apex of which being central of the recess, and the sides forming the walls of openings provided in the spike, and a headed key member which is of a greater length than the distance of the longitudinal recess in the spike, and which may have its end divided so that when the same contacts with the apex of the substantially V-shaped wall provided by the recess and opening in the spike, the said ends of the key will be forced through the openings in `opposite directions to provide lateral en gaging members, and the key together with its head being fully received within the recesses of the spike, the head permitting the prying of the key from the spike.

The primary object of the invention may be therefore considered the construction of spikes whereby the same will be efectively retained when inserted within an article but which at the same time may be removed from the article when desired.

With the above and other objects in view, the improvement resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a spike and showing the key of the spike arranged therein, so that the ends of the key will be spread laterally beyond the sides of the spike. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the spike with the key removed. Fig. 3 is a similar view of a key, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the device.

The spike 1 may be of the ordinary construction, having its end substantially shaped to provide an entering point 2. and being provided with a head of the ordinary formation. The head 3 is centrally cut or recessed longitudinally, as indicated by the numeralf, and what I will portion ofthe said body projecting 3 which is alsov ternr the outer face 5 of the spike is also provided with a longitudinally extending recess 5 which agrees in width with that of the recess 4, and the inner wallof the recess 5 provides the inner wall of the recess 4. The recess 5 has its terminal wall pointed, or in the shape of a V as indicated by the numeral 6, the apex of the V being disposed centrally of the passage 5, and the sides of the wall 6 may be inclined or curved outwardly at any desired or preferred angle. The sides 7 of the spike are formed with slots 8 providing openings in the said side, and the lowerV-shaped wall 6` of the recess 5 is continued toward the outer sides of the spike in a plane parallel with that of the upper wall formed by the opening 8.

Thekey is designated by the numeral 9. This key if desired, may be made of two pieces which may be welded together, or detachable if desired, while of course, the said key may be made of .a single piece of material. The key 9 comprises a shank 10 and a head 11. The head 11 is of a width and thickness sufficient to befully received within the recessed portion 4 of the head, while the shank or body 10 of the key is of a size and width corresponding with that of the longitudinal depression 6. This is the preferable construction of the device, but the key, and as illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, may have the outer face of its body beveled or inclined from its end to its head, the reduced portion of the body fitting snugly within the recess 5, while the widened beyond the recess and face of the spike, the said projecting portion serving as an additional means for obviating any liability of the turning. Vand consequent loosening of the spike when the same is inserted within an article.

The key has its lower portion, from its opposite faces, curved to a point, as indicated by the numeral 12, and the lower portion of the said key is slitted, as -at 13.

It will be readilyl noted that when the spike is inserted into an article, and the key then passed through the recess 5 until the bifurcated end 13 of the key 9 engages the side or lower walls of the substantially V- shaped portion 6, a blow or a number of blows of a hammer upon the head'of the spike will force the head 11 to within the recess 4 and force the ends 12 of the key through the-openings 8, causing the said ends to travel in either an angular or a circular direction to the opposite sides of the spikel, and in accordance with the formation of the walls of the opening and that of the portion 6 of the spike.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the simplicity of the device as well as the advantages thereof will, it is thought, be perfectly apparent to those skilled in the art to which such inventions appertain without further detailed description.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A railroad spike having a head provided with a projecting portion, a longitudinally extending recess provided in the outer face and the projecting portion of the head thereof, a longitudinally extending recess provided in the outer face of theshank of the spike and communicating with the recess of the head, a key comprising a head provided with a projecting portion and a shank, the head and. projecting portion of the key being adapted to entirely ill the recessed portion of the head and the projecting portion thereof, and the shank of the key being adapted to entirely lill the recess in the shank of the spike, the lower wall of said recess being wedge shaped and provided With downwardly curved side walls extending from the apex out through the side walls of the recess, said side walls being curved lso as to better direct the jointed ends of the key out through the openings in the side of thespike when the key is driven into position.

2. A railroad spike having a head provided with a vprojecting portion, a longitudinally extending recess provided in the outer face vand the projecting portion of the head thereof, a longitudinally extending recessprovided in the outer face of theshank vof the spike and communicating with the recess of the head, a key comprising a head provided with a projecting portion and a shank, the head and projecting portion of the key being of a greater'thickness than the depth of the recessed portion of the head and the projecting portion thereof, so that the key may be easily removed from the spike when desired, the shank of said key being inclined on its outer face from its bottom edge to its head, said shank being of a greater thickness along its inclined portion than the depth of the recess in the shank of the yspike so as to more firmly hold JOSEPH D. CRITES.

Witnesses:

WV. C. ROBINSON, GRACE NYE. 

